The well-funded bipartisan group “No Labels” wants politicians to compromise, but its CEO says “there is no middle ground” when it comes to Israel. Why is media coverage leaving this part of the story out?
The venom of the Israel lobby toward the Nakba is understandable. Acknowledging the Nakba doesn’t just undermine the “miracle” of Israel, but the state’s legitimacy in the eyes of idealistic Americans.
Rashida Tlaib has proved to be the most potent force for Palestine in mainstream American politics, which is why Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League is working to destroy her political career.
The 75th anniversary of the Nakba brought unprecedented coverage in American media of the Palestinian experience.
The Israel lobby group ADL tried to stop the Nakba commemoration at the Capitol by saying that Rashida Tlaib had slandered Israel. The historic ceremony was carried off thanks to Bernie Sanders.
The New York Times all but ignored Palestinian civilians killed by Israel’s latest assault on Gaza and dismissed an essential factor in Israel’s calculus — pressure on Netanyahu from the fascistic members of his own coalition.
When Rashida Tlaib tweeted about the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, AIPAC described her history as “dangerous lies.” Meanwhile, liberal Zionist statements on Israel’s founding contain Nakba denial as well.
When Irish political prisoner Bobby Sands died in 1981 after a hunger strike, his death galvanized American sympathy for the Republican movement. Sadly, Khader Adnan’s death this week has not moved the American establishment the same way.
Three-fourths of Palestinians in occupied territories believe it is impossible to create a Palestinian state. As a result, 54 percent “support a return to armed confrontation and intifada.”
When scholar Omer Bartov described the “brutal” expulsion of Palestinians during the Nakba, he was heckled and booed. Audience members at the Center for Jewish History shouted “Shame!” and one walked out.